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Firewire, also known as IEEE 1394, is a high-speed serial bus interface used to connect external devices like external hard drives, digital camcorders, and audio equipment to computers. It was developed for applications requiring high bandwidth, such as video editing and real-time data transfer. Key features include support for peer-to-peer connectivity (transferring data between devices without a computer), hot-swapping, and a large number of devices on a single bus.

Key features

High-speed data transfer: Early versions like Firewire 400 supported speeds up to 400 Mbps, while Firewire 800 doubled this to 800 Mbps.

Peer-to-peer connectivity: Allows devices to communicate directly, such as connecting an external drive to a camcorder to store data without a computer.

Hot-swapping: Devices can be connected and disconnected while the computer is running.

Support for multiple devices: A single bus can support up to 63 devices.

Power delivery: Some Firewire ports can provide power to connected devices.